Leadership In The Middle East Essay Example

Doing business in the Middle East requires solid business management skills. Leadership in such an environment and a culture as divergent from the western culture requires a solid understanding of the people’s culture and a very open mind. Business culture and etiquette vary from one country to another. In this case, the Middle Eastern culture is very different from the western culture that has prevailed though most nations due to globalization. Primarily, this paper will assess some of the key areas that leadership has to focus on and conform to for a western organization doing business in the Middle East to succeed.
Religion is the priority that any leader should assess while managing a business in the Middle East. Doing some research on the Muslim religion would be one of the strategies that need to be used in understanding the Middle Eastern business culture. Arguably, Prayer is one of the key concepts of Islam that is valued. The Muslims pray at least five times a day. The prayer sessions are announced by a mosque, but some of the employees pray within the office. Understanding, the importance of Prayer to the employees and respecting such values are essential for any business operating within the country.
Another key issue that would be confusing for western business leaders in the country would be the Month of Ramadhan. For emphasis, religion is a sensitive issue when transitioning from the usual western business environment in the Middle East. During the month, all Muslims are expected to refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking (Lang et al., 2013). As such, a reduction in the productivity of the employees is inevitable during the month. The company needs to create a platform that will accommodate for the changes in the priorities of the reduced productivity for the month. Creating a successful organization entails creating a system that works for the business during a month such as Ramadhan.
The issue of gender is also highly sensitive in the Middle East. Arguably, in the Middle East gender is one of the sensitive topics that need to be addressed with care. Addressing the issue of gender from a sensitive perspective is crucial to ensure that gender roles are not violated. For instance, the role of women in most organizations is inexistent. Additionally, another concern that people ought to focus on is the role of women in the workplace. Besides learning how to handle women in the workplace, also considering their various roles within the organization would be wise. Unlike the Western cultures, most of the Middle Eastern companies have few female employees.
The issue of personal conduct is one of the key concerns when doing business with the rest of the Middle Eastern nature. Personal business within the Islam religion is a common tendency. Arguably, doing business is personal within the Middle East. In the Middle East, business involves personal information and creating personal friendships. Unlike the western society where business is never, personal and alliances are not made through friendships. However, a manager coming into the Middle Eastern business environment needs to consider the need to form personal alliances with the potential stakeholders. Lang et al (2013) argues that active participation in social practices within Saudi Arabia is different from the western culture. As such, western culture leaders might have unrelated expectations from Middle East business culture. Understanding the communication expectations from the Middle Eastern culture is crucial to allow for improved performance.
Another tip for doing business in the Middle East is formal conduct. When booking an appointment or confirming using a call as opposed to email is essential. Additionally, are a number of people within the United States use this technique although it is not widely used per se. In the Middle East, lack of confirming appointments via calls is seen as a lack of business etiquette. As such, understanding the dos and don’ts of the Middle East is one of the strategies that can be used by leaders transitioning from the western companies in the Middle East.
Another tip for business leadership in the Middle East is understanding that the fact that business is always personal, the business might get out hands at times. Meetings turn chaotic repeatedly. Punctuality is also a key consideration when dealing with Middle Eastern people. For foreigners, punctuality might not seem as a mandatory requirement, but rather is seen by most people as a professional courtesy. Patience when dealing with Middle Easterner’s is also vital (Sheikh, Newman & Al Azzeh, 2013). From the loud hackling to the hauling of insults within a business meeting, the Middle Eastern business values are very contrary to western values.
Most Middle Eastern countries are highly conservative. As such, being conservative in one’s conduct, communication, and attire are equally crucial when dealing with Middle Easterners. Communication must be within the accepted terms of Middle Eastern cultural values. The use of profanities is supposed to be limited or avoided at all costs. Additionally, small talk also comes in handy to ease the communication mishaps when dealing with new clients. Unlike other cultures such as the Chinese culture where small talk is unnecessary, it is crucial to have some small talk pointers to break the ice. Small talk is also essential to initiate a striking conversation with a networking opportunity.
The best way to communicate with people in the Middle East is face to face. Sheikh, Newman & Al Azzeh (2013) argue on the importance of having an understanding of the person one is dealing with stakeholders that could promote and foster the growth of the business. Additionally, another strategy that can be adopted is to have prior knowledge of stakeholders before dealing with them. As mentioned before, communication and business is personal. Knowing an individual on a personal level and being genuinely interested in their lives would assist a leader make a strong network and alliance in the fastest time possible. Arguably, knowing something personal about a prospective client can help a manager create rapport easily. Forming alliances with people in the industry or clients is one of the most challenging aspects of venturing into a new market or industry. Using interpersonal communication, a leader can slowly establish his business and associate it with multiple other clients, creating a strong foundation or base.
Mameli (2013) says that technology incorporation is another crucial consideration that managers and leaders in the Middle East need to do to promote growth and sustainability within the corporations here. Arguably, one of the essential considerations about the Middle East is the fact that it leads to the development and growth of the business to ensure that it achieves its intended purpose. Technology is still premature in the industry and managers from the western world are highly likely to influence growth within the industry.
This paper shows some of the key difficulties associated with management in the Middle East for a leader used to the western business culture. The paper also offers insights and tips on some of the best strategies that can be adopted to make the transitioning period smooth and opposition-free. The differences in both the people’s culture as well as the business policies held by these individuals could have a critical effect on a global organization venturing into the industry without this awareness. The best-proposed approach would be the hiring of a local manager to run the business as compared to having a western manager run the business. However, if the manager has to be from the parent company’s country, the mentioned skills and strategies would have a significant impact on the prosperity of the organization in such a different business environment. Likewise, using the appropriate procedures to work in the country, such as work permits and visa processing is mandatory for compliance with the set regulations.

References

Lang, R., Szabo, E., Catana, G. A., Kinečná, Z., & Skálová, P. (2013). Beyond participation? - Leadership ideals of future managers from Central and East European Countries. Journal for East European Management Studies, 18(4), 482-511. Print.
Mameli, P. (2013). Under New Management: What the Arab Spring Tells Us About Leadership Needs in the Middle East and North Africa. DOMES: Digest of Middle East Studies, 22(2), 377-404. Print.
Sheikh, A. Z., Newman, A., & Al Azzeh, S. A. (2013). Transformational leadership and job involvement in the Middle East: the moderating role of individually held cultural values. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(6), 1077-1095. Print.
Mameli, P. (2013). Under New Management: What the Arab Spring Tells Us About Leadership Needs in the Middle East and North Africa. DOMES: Digest of Middle East Studies, 22(2), 377-404. Print.